Speech pathologist Erin McGrattan (center) and Dr. Ashli O'Rourke, a laryngologist, do an X-ray to examine how Lester Lane swallows. MUSC's ear, nose and throat center, was recognized as being among the best in the nation.

U.S. News & World Report has ranked MUSC the top overall hospital in South Carolina and among the best in the country when it comes to the treatment of ear, nose and throat disorders.

Dr. Patrick Cawley

Patrick J. Cawley, M.D., executive director and chief executive officer of the MUSC Medical Center and vice president for clinical operations, said the rankings reflect the excellence MUSC pursues every day.

“I am proud to hear that U.S. News & World Report has ranked MUSC as the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina,” Cawley said. “We’re teaching the next generation of care providers and conducting the latest research innovations in health care so we can help all of South Carolina achieve this excellence.”

Paul Lambert, M.D., director of the MUSC Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, was also pleased that his division was ranked in the top 4 percent nationally, coming in 32nd out of more than 730 ear, nose and throat programs.

Dr. Paul Lambert

“It is a nice accolade. I think it reflects the quality of our faculty, our clinical programs and our research enterprise,” Lambert said. “Another thing we really do well is we’re probably in the top 10 in the country with our involvement in clinical trials. Our department is really at the cutting edge of investigation of basic science as well as clinical trials.”

The department has more faculty members than most university hospitals. “We have great depth at each of the subspecialty areas and bring depth and diversity to each of the subspecialty areas in terms of training background,” Lambert said.

In addition to the national ranking for ENT, MUSC was categorized as a “high-performing” facility for the treatment of nephrology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology and urology.

U.S. News & World Report posted the 26th edition of the Best Hospitals rankings at usnews.com/besthospitals. Designed to help patients with life-threatening or rare conditions identify hospitals that excel in treating the most difficult cases, Best Hospitals includes consumer-friendly data and information on nearly 5,000 medical centers nationwide.

The Best Hospitals methodology measures patient volume, risk-adjusted survival rates and adequacy of nurse staffing, among other care-related indicators. U.S. News increased the number of physicians surveyed for the 2015-16 rankings.

Ben Harder, chief of health analysis at U.S. News, said patients deserve high-quality information on hospitals. “We strive to provide them with the most comprehensive data available so they can make more informed decisions together with their doctor about where to undergo treatment.”

The specialty rankings and data were produced for U.S. News by RTI International, a leading research organization based in Research Triangle Park, N.C.

U.S. News first began publishing hospital rankings in 1990 as part of an expanding group of consumer advice products. During the past 26 years, the Best Hospitals rankings have helped guide millions of patients and their families to high-quality hospital care when they need it most.